Onverse is an online 3D virtual world developed by Onverse, LLC, a company based in Tempe, Arizona.[2][3] It was released for PC's on June 15, 2009 and was released shortly after (August) for Mac.[4] As of December 7, 2013, Onverse has 645,921 users.[5]

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Onverse, LLC was founded in late 2006 by Stephen M. Pierce II, former Design Manager for Sony Online Entertainment, who had grown tired of the corporate environment and felt he was "ready to build his own world." Development of the online world began in late 2007 when Pierce was able to convince an engineer, Wesley Macdonald, to take on the project. The staff soon expanded with the addition of Eric Hoefer (an artist), Ben Steele (an animator), and Scott Mitting (a web engineer). After 18 months the Windows client opened to a public beta on June 15, 2009. On August 6, 2009, the Mac OS X client opened to the public.[1] Onverse's beta testing stage lasted from June 15, 2009 - February 2, 2011. Onverse now continues to update the game. Jo Schmitz, also a member of the crew became a Developer in 2010.

Stephen Pierce started the development team in December 2006. Wes MacDonald (The Engineer) joined the crew in August 2007. Eric Hoefer (The Artist) joined the crew in January 2008. Ben Steele (The Animator) joined the crew in May 2008. Scott Mitting joined the crew in February 2009.

As of 2015, the active members of the crew include Stephen Pierce, Eric Hoefer, and Jo Schmitz. Wes MacDonald, as of December 2011, left Onverse, LLC and assumed a position at Turtle Rock Studios in Orange County, CA.[6] It is unknown if Wes MacDonald is still active in any of the virtual worlds development.

Onverse is built on top of a highly modified version of the Torque Game Engine.[1] Torque means it is available for both Mac OS X and Windows operating systems. The game can be run with high or low-detail graphics. High-detail produces better images, whereas low-detail reduces lag on less powerful computers.[7]

Onverse is both a social network and a virtual world. The social networking website offers profiles, media sharing, user comments, microblogging and an interactive forum. It also features a news section, where all the previous and new updates are posted.[8]

3D Virtual World

The 3D world is a downloaded client that is updated frequently by the development team when they add new items, areas and events.[9] Once inside, users can use tools to collect points to shop with, play various minigames, chat, build on/buy housing or land plots, attend events, and participate in various other activities.[10]

Onverse has a unique moderation team called Guides. Guides are often chosen each month and given the ability to kick users from servers, become invisible, and bypass teleports. Guides are volunteer staff who give a minimum of ten hours a Week, moderate the servers, and most importantly, help. There are three positions that Guides can hold, including: Guide, Senior Guide, and Community Manager. There was formerly a fourth position, named 'Tour Guide', but it was soon removed due to inefficiency.

Multiple ways of moving around Onverse are used by thousands of users a day. Transportation provides a quicker way of maneuvering around the vast worlds.

Mounts

Mounts are the most common form of transportation found in the Onverse World, and provide a substantial speed bonus (20%-80%) for the players that ride them.

Vehicles

Vehicles are found in Onverse and may be driven by subscribed members anywhere. Non-subscribed players can only drive cars in specified areas and games.

Avatar Cannons

Avatar cannons are found scattered around the Onverse World, they may be used by any user.

Pirate Ships

Pirate ships are found in the Volcano Island region, as well as the beach in The Hub. Upon entering, users view a map of the world and may choose their destination, bringing the user to a loading screen.

The Map

By selecting the map option, or pressing M on their keyboard, players can select a world and area to be relocated to. After selecting a place a loading screen will briefly appear whilst the world is loading- load times have been significantly improved since 2012.

The Onverse economy runs on a dual currency model; Player Points (abbreviated as "PP") and Cash Coins ("CC.")

Players receive a standard 500 PP along with multiple free items on joining the game.

Additional PP can be obtained by using tools to break PP targets, popularly known as PP hunting. CC can be obtained through the Onverse Cash Coins page on the website, special offers, or contests. Smaller amounts of CC can be obtained by selling rare in-game items, such as gold jackpot treasure keys (found in some tool targets), or prizes from the gold jackpot chests.